Real judgements, distilled
Court judgements broken down into the case type, how the decision played out, and the lesson worth remembering, with the full judgement available as a PDF.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1094
An older qualification must still satisfy the eligibility rules governing the appointment sought. Here, the certificate's early date did not secure reinstatement, and rejection of eligibility should not be confused with a conclusive finding that the certificate was forged.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1095
A party benefiting from a conditional stay must meet its deposit requirement or face enforcement. The additional ₹15 crore deposit secures the pending dispute; it does not settle the land's final compensation or amount to an immediate payment to the landowners.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1093
An alleged attempt to kill does not become a lesser offence simply because the victim avoided a fatal injury. Restoring this charge means the accusation must be tried; it does not establish that the accused is guilty.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1090
For the assessment in this case, assistance reducing ordinary manufacturing costs was taxable even though the government wanted to encourage industry. The purpose and actual operation of the particular subsidy mattered more than its general development label.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1091
Proof that someone caused a serious injury does not by itself prove the additional ingredients of robbery. A court can substitute a lesser offence supported by the evidence; the sentencing reduction here depended on Appa's particular circumstances.
Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 1092
Someone challenging an election must ensure that the personal-presentation requirement is met and can be proved. Merely entering the court building does not establish compliance, and a filing defect can end the challenge before the election allegations are examined.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1088
An employee who retires on 30 June may be entitled to the increment that falls due on 1 July after completing a year of service. Authorities that delay paying the amounts due must pay interest after the deadline set by the court.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1089
Recruitment must follow the qualifications stated in the advertisement and the governing Recruitment Rules. A court will not override a merit-based eligibility decision made under those rules merely because the candidate concerned was higher in the written test.
Writ Petition (Criminal) · 2026:DHC:8797
A person who occupied property only because of employment has no independent right to remain once the employment and decree end. Even when a petition fails, courts can make practical arrangements to let a person recover personal belongings.
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Log in to see moreThe Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Commission advertised 9,212 posts of Health Worker (Female) in December 2021, with 10% reserved for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). The appellants applied under the EWS quota but their income/asset certificates did not strictly match the financial year the advertisement required, or were obtained before that financial year had even closed. Their EWS claims were rejected, and the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) upheld the rejection.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals, holding that an EWS certificate must relate specifically to the financial year immediately preceding the year of application and must be dated within the window prescribed by the advertisement: a certificate obtained before that financial year even ended, or relating to the wrong financial year, is invalid. Relying on its own precedents (UPSC v. Gaurav Singh and Divya v. Union of India), the Court held such defects go to the very root of eligibility and cannot be cured later. It also cautioned that challenges to rejections generated through standard computerised recruitment processing should not ordinarily be entertained, since that risks stalling recruitment for thousands of other aspirants.
When claiming EWS (or similar) reservation in a government recruitment, the income/asset certificate must be obtained strictly for the correct financial year and within the dates the advertisement specifies, even a seemingly technical dating mismatch can permanently disqualify an otherwise eligible candidate.
